Poll Waterless or Water Wash

Water or Waterless Wash

  • Total voters
    13
  • Poll closed .
Wobdog

Wobdog

a.k.a Mike
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Eric and Norm inspired me to do this poll. Do you use water to wash your E9 or do you use a Waterless wash. Please share products and best practices.

Personally I try to keep water away from my E9 and have been using the Griots Garage Spray on Wash. Have had good results with it but recently I purchased Chemical Guys Swift wipe wash. I have not used it yet but do not like the "bubble gum" smell as much as the Griots Garage. I also love Griots Garage speed shine for touch ups and clay bar cleaning

For my M4 I love the Foam Cannon... so much fun and it works great along with the two bucket system
 

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Athena rarely gets dirty yet it still happens. This was after the NH Audi Club 2020 Covered Bridge Tour. The hose & soap was the only solution for this amount of filth.

Most of the time I use Griot's Best of Show Detailer. I buy Speed Shine, Best of Show Detailer & Wheel Cleaner by the gallon.
My wife bought me the large Metro Air Force Master Blaster Dryer & I always run a Dehumidifier in the garage year round.

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I wash my car with soap, clay bar, and Meguiar's Gold Class wax once per year. Then just wipe it down before and after each drive with Meguiar's Gold Class detailer spray. I drive it a lot so I don't stress over keeping it immaculate, just try to keep the bugs, dust, and other crap off the paint and chrome. If after a long road trip somewhere I wouldn't hesitate to use soap and water but I just make sure to drive it for a while after so it's not put away wet, just as I do if I get caught in the rain. My front hood seal is removable so I dry that out and use compressed air to get water out of the trunk seal and any other areas like on either side of the heater motor box/firewall.
 
My paint is just 2-3 years old and has not needed a correction for tiny scratches. I applied McKee's Graphene Ceramic coating about 18 months ago. I will often use Girot's Ceramic Speed Shine to wipe away dust and dirt. The car is driven almost every weekend when the roads are dry and has gone over 10K miles in the 4 years of ownership, including 3 trips of over 1000 miles from Ft. Lauderdale to Ashville NC, and twice to Hilton Head SC. Please note those typical spray on ceramic products will not last more than a few weeks and will not correct your paint. That's where clay and polishing compounds are used before a real ceramic liquid is applied.
 

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I have finished three cars with ceramic nanocoat (including glass) and no longer need to wash them. A quick rinse and squeegee, towel dry the remainder and done.

Ceramic coats last a couple of years. Did the glass as well with excellent results, Rainex is a thing of the past..
 
I think it depends on the amount of rust on your car, and if it has been thoroughly restored (sills opened; fender off, floor out etc). the paint condition on the outside actually isn't part of the equation for me: it's the sills, floors, rear subframe mounts, trunk floor and front fender/strut tower that are at risk.

If thoroughly restored then I wouldn't worry. I will be comfortably washing my car when it's done; all is E-zinced prior to (spot)welding it back in, and it has three coats of thick, thixotropic paint inside the sills. I know I won't be sweating when it rains.

If your car's body is decent, but never repaired then I'd be washing it carefully with a minimal amount of water. The inside of the spot weld seams have no (real) protection from the factory, and water getting in there will take some time to evaporate, in the meantime keeping the rust party going.

If your car is rusted, then I'd drive it in the rain, wash it completely, go through mud etc. just enjoy; you can't break a thing that is broken already. I had pebbles, sand and water in my trunk after a good day of touring prior to my resto start ( in 2012..sigh....)
 
My car's body is decent and restored partially. Therefore I will drive my car just on sunny days. Washing as little as possible with just a small amount of water.
 
I have probably washed my coupe with actual water 4 times since I had it painted 19 years ago. 2 of those times were after trips down to Monterey and back. I used Griot's products to keep it clean.

I still remember Murray Fowler getting after someone on this forum because there was a hose next to their coupe in a picture they posted. I guess that stuck. :)
 
I use water to wash myself and my E9. Not at the same time nor frequency.
I have been doing this for many years and I seem to be deteriorating faster than the E9.
 
CSL177 said:
I have finished three cars with ceramic nanocoat (including glass) and no longer need to wash them. A quick rinse and squeegee, towel dry the remainder and done.

Ceramic coats last a couple of years. Did the glass as well with excellent results, Rainex is a thing of the past..
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Russ--I use a silicone squeegee to wipe away the water drops before drying with the towel. My 2017 Mercedes GLE 43AMG is dark blue and the professionally applied Ceramic Pro is still beading water after 5 years. The dirt doesn't wash away with just the hose,but soap & more water is easier than before the ceramic coating.
 
I had used Griot's and kept my e9 dry but alas the current storms blew my car cover off multiple times :( I'll start fresh, drying it out after the storms and find a way to keep the cover on.
 
Arde said:
I use water to wash myself and my E9. Not at the same time nor frequency.
I have been doing this for many years and I seem to be deteriorating faster than the E9.
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Humans tend to blow out their strut towers (hips) around 75 years old.
 
Wobdog said:
For my M4 I love the Foam Cannon... so much fun and it works great along with the two bucket system
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I love my foam cannon too but I do wonder if it is just a gimmick. After using the pressure washer to wet the car, I don’t think there is much loose dirt for the foam to take away, but it sure is fun though.
 
bmw2800cs said:
I had used Griot's and kept my e9 dry but alas the current storms blew my car cover off multiple times :( I'll start fresh, drying it out after the storms and find a way to keep the cover on.
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I'd be nervous about that cover flapping in the wind against the paint and moisture (condensation) being held against the paint. No chance of a rented garage nearby?
 
I do use water, but I never hose it down. I start with blowing off lose dust and grit with air. Then use a sponge and bucket with auto soapy water. I make sure the sponge is not too soaked to keep the soapy water from flowing where I don't want it to. I wipe off the soapy film with a slightly wet towel a couple times. I then use a dry towel to remove the remaining water. I like to use the spray-as-you-dry wax too because it helps to get all the water off and makes the surface slippery. I also use a detailers spray between the infrequent washing.

Both my 70 Coupe and 69 Fairlane Cobra get this cleaning treatment when needed. They also get hand waxed. I have not tried any of the ceramic coatings yet. My Coupe hood (32-year-old paint) is due for a clay bar treatment and polishing before the next waxing.
 
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